I might be stating the obvious, but I like making things. Availability and economics rarely factor in my decision to do something. If I can go out and buy the finished item for a low cost, that doesn’t mean I will. I’ll usually go without something (my hand screw clamps, for example), rather than buying it, if I feel I can do it myself. This applies to almost everything.

A good example is this blog entries main subject: a meat cleaver. I got it in my head that I wanted one, and instead of buying one, I started working out how I’d make it. The biggest obstacle was to find a suitable piece of good quality steel to make the blade.

I’m not adverse to buying the raw material to do a project, but would prefer to use something I already have. After a quick look around, I found an older 10″ saw blade that had been sharpened several times, with next to no carbide left. I measured it up, made a template and started cutting.

I made a video of the festivities:

I’m currently working on an interesting knife block to hold the cleaver. More details soon.

Last night, I watched Steve Ramsey’s latest Mere Minutes video. In it, he talks about a Fine Woodworking Magazine “podcast”, and how the two participants are picking on ordinary guys doing woodworking videos. This is the video, for those that are interested. Watch it while it’s hot, since it may not be there for too long, given the negative reception it has received from the majority of woodworkers.

The gist of it was how anybody with a camera and some tools could make a woodworking video, and how the information that is presented may not be accurate or the procedures safe. They said that there isn’t anyone vetting this content.

When you take these comments on their own, stripped of the seemingly condescending and elitist attitude of the speaker (I say seemingly, since his intent may not have been to come across this way), there is a nugget of truth there. The truth is that the vast majority of the woodworking videos on YouTube do have some bad info and unsafe practices. Many of these are made by guys that are clearly not professionals, and that is fine, since there is little chance the average aspiring woodworker will put much stock into what they are watching. The problem I see, are those who have elevated themselves to a position of trust – the “gurus”, and there is still some of that same bad info and unsafe procedures. Granted, there is a lot less, but it still exists.

In a perfect world, the vetting process for YouTube would be through intelligent use of the comment section on the video, to point out the issues for the presenter to respond to. The reality is that even the “gurus” are still just human, and are bound, like the rest of us, to human nature. The response to any so called “constructive criticism” can run the gamut: from admitting fault to not answering of even deleting the comment outright. A lot of this depends upon the “tone” of the critic, and if he comes across like the gent in the FWW podcast, his message will likely fall on deaf ears. Even with the correct approach, the results will most likely be more detrimental than beneficial, since no one wants to be told they are doing something wrong or have their methods challenged.

Since I’ve put myself in the position where I’m showing some of the work I do, I try to take criticism constructively and not be offended when someone points out that the way I’m doing something may not be the best way. For the most part, the comments I’ve received on YouTube have been reasonable, with many of them being politely presented. To be honest, I really don’t care how someone says something, just what they are saying. If there’s value in the comment, I take it in and act on it. It may have that Marsellus Wallace sting of pride, but that’s not something I can’t get past, especially if I gain something from it.